The biological penchant of sociology Comtien: The question of gender equality

To those who have been puzzled by the globally positive assessment Auguste Comte made of phrenology, historians and philosophers of science have responded by offering convincing epistemological and methodological arguments, which enable one to suggest a rationale for his interest in what is nowadays generally considered a hopelessly pseudo-scientific endeavor. Yet, there exist other motivations, political or - as Comte himself would put it-sociological in nature, which seem to explain this interest but which have not so far received the same share of attention. "Physiological phrenology" indeed provides Comte's system with an original "theory of human nature" on the basis of which the organization or reorganization of Western societies is to be conceived. But this crucial role ascribed to phrenology is just an illustration of an even broader specificity of the Comtean system, namely the special relation that links biology and sociology. Now, in order to grasp the very difficulty inherent in this special relation in Comte, it is enlightening to consider the manner in which it is elaborated in the context of the issue of sexual equality. What we would like to show here, drawing more specifically on the correspondence between Auguste Comte and John Stuart Mill when it is read in conjunction with the Cours de philosophie positive, is the way biology, and more particularly phrenology, suffuses Comte's sociological argument in favor of the subjection of women and the potential consequences of this biological "contamination".